


Gentle hand on black fur

by purplefox



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 06:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9110014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplefox/pseuds/purplefox
Summary: Naruto's not jealous, it would be silly to be jealous of an animal.





	

Naruto was not jealous, he was envious and there was a difference. He sat his back against a tree as he sat in the training ground. Everywhere was quiet, the early afternoon causing the leaves high up to sway softly. It was the perfect atmosphere for slacking off.

And the person that he kept looking up at was doing exactly that but Kakashi was Kakashi. He was not exactly going to change just because time had passed. Nothing like for that for him. Naruto bit his pen and sneaked another look at Kakashi instead of studying the scroll like he should be doing.

It had been hard getting the Hokage to lend it to him, he had a time limit with it. He had only learned half the crap in it so he had decided to just copy the other half and burn his copy when done but he would have to finish copying it first and he kept getting distracted.

Kakashi had been distant in his own way. He had only really opened up to Naruto and the rest of their team after Naruto had returned to the village after being trained by Ero-sennin. Seeing under his mask was still an S-ranked mission but Naruto was now a Chuunin so he had hope that one day he would see it, one day and not in a hospital, that would not count.

Still, not too far away his sensei lay on a tree branch on his back his book, the first in the Icha Icha series in hand and close to his face. That was not what Naruto was envious of, what he was envious of was the cat that had climbed the tree his former sensei so casually was resting on.

He had laughed softy when the black cat had determinedly climbed the tree, small hisses and snarls bouncing around the clearing only to give a small mew when it made it to Kakashi’s branch and saw the man there.

The only thing Kakashi had done when the cat had appeared was stop reading, turn to regard the cat before returning to his reading. That seemed to be an acceptance for the cat. Or at least, a challenge accepted because it had slowly walked over to where Kakashi’s hair messily rested at the joint of the branch and batted at the silver strands.

Naruto had expected Kakashi to ignore the cat. Maybe shoo it away but when the man’s free hand had instead raised and arched over his head to clumsily pat the cat. Naruto had been unable to look anywhere else but at the calloused hand fumbling over black fur and ears. He had wanted to feel such fingers in his own hair.

He had before, back as a genin. When Kakashi was in a good mood and Naruto had done something really well, really beyond Kakashi’s expectations. It always seemed as though Kakashi’s joy had been overflowing and the hair ruffle, the soothing pat was a result of Kakashi’s emotions being more than he could handle.

Least that was how Naruto had looked back at those incidents, stretched out over time, getting further and further until they stopped entirely. He was starving, for Kakashi’s touch, for his laughter and that a cat got the touch, a soothing touch so easily made him feel sad.

He had swallowed and went back to the scroll occasionally looking up to see the cat lightly walk over Kakashi’s chest flicking it’s fluffy tail at the man’s head only to get a low laugh in return. He watched and envied as Kakashi’s free hand lightly stroked the cat as it marched up and down the man’s body occasionally going too close to the side of the branch to be rescued by a nudge from Kakashi’s hand.

It was adorable, it was cute and Naruto wished so badly that it was him instead, or that he could be closer. It took forever for the cat to settle, low down on Kakashi’s stomach, tail lightly swaying in the air as Kakashi’s hands stroked over the black head, back and tail.

His envy grew and grew until he dropped the scroll on the ground with a disgusted sigh and stared up at what he could see of the sky through the trees. It was so silly, but he could not stop it. He was glad the cat was getting affection but he wanted some too. Would it kill Kakashi to treat his team and his friends a little better? With a bit more affection? Even that bastard touched his shoulder from time to time.

“Can’t translate a word?” Kakashi called out and Naruto rolled his eyes, slumped a little lower, his gaze on the bit of blue sky he could see. “Naruto I know you can hear me.”

“It’s not the scroll.” Naruto answered as the wind blew, the leaves above danced and more of the sky was revealed. “Just me, it always is.” Kakashi remained silent so Naruto looked back down to find the man had rolled to his side the cat draped over his neck. The book gone and Kakashi’s eyes on his.

“Care to explain that?” Kakashi asked softly. His gaze was on Naruto’s, his eyes just how they had been when team seven first started, a little distant as if waiting for something bad to happen.

“Not really.” Naruto admitted. He smiled at the cat that rubbed its head against Kakashi’s shoulder. “Thought you were a dog person.”

“I just like animals.” Kakashi said, his mask moved enough that Naruto knew the man was smiling at him, so he smiled back even as Kakashi’s hand moved to awkwardly give the cat rubbing against him a rub under the chin.

“I think I need a nap.” Naruto sighed. He tipped his head back and pulled the scroll to his lap before he tucked it under his jacket. “Maybe I’ll focus better after." He doubted it but it was worth a try.

X

Naruto woke up to the sound of purring. That was not what made his body tense, what made him tense was that instead of being upright like he had fallen asleep, he was on his side. Not only that but his head was on something soft. He opened his eyes to see black. Black fur and his breath caught in his throat.

Hands brushed over his hair and neck, it took everything in him to remain silent and still as Kakashi’s lightly patted him. “You don’t have to take the world on your shoulder you know.” Kakashi said softly. “And if you want something-“ Kakashi’s hand drifted from his hair to gently stroke his cheek instead, Naruto flushed at the soft touch. “You should just ask.” Naruto had nothing to say, he did not want to ruin the moment but his hopes were certainly up. He would just let Kakashi take charge of whatever that was happening.


End file.
